The Blade, the Assassin, and the Man
by Tvoctor
Summary: Naruto is dead. The Kyuubi has vanished. Many years have passed, and the hero's generation has taken their place at the helm of the calm village. But a killer lurks in the shadows of the streets, a young girl wants to kill for the wrong reasons, and a mysterious man has his own mystery to uncover. How long will the tenuous peace in Konoha last?
1. Prologue

**Hey this is the first story I've written since I was 12. I'm a big Naruto fan, and I had this idea a few years ago, so if it doesn't work factually with what's been revealed in the story since then, well, that's because the original idea is 2 years old. I intend for this to be a mystery and adventure story. In this world, it is many years after the current events of the manga/anime. You'll be seeing a lot of character's offspring, and you might be surprised by the road that the Konoha 11 and various others have gone down. Furthermore, the world is slightly different. And I've killed Naruto (perhaps). **

**I don't own Naruto. Please enjoy.**

**PROLOGUE:**

Kurama had never died before. Contrary to what most would think, he was very much afraid of death. Even if he was told he was immortal.

The other Tailed Beasts had all been killed. A couple times by an extraordinary force of ninja. A few times by each other. Kurama himself had sent Shukaku to meet his maker on occasion.

But Shukaku came back every time. He had told the Nine-Tails that their maker was in a place they could never reach. And Kurama would kill him again, hoping to all hell that Shukaku would be able to go to the place that HE was. He wanted it so desperately because if Shukaku could not find his way he very much doubted that he, the most evil of them all, could.

So he decided if he couldn't go home, he would never die. He would crush and kill every stinking human until the end of time, and even then Kurama wasn't sure he would be stopped.

And then the Jinchuuriki system was brought back. It hadn't been used since the Sage of Six Paths. Even then, Kurama could not find the salvation he wanted. He tested it, by killing a few hosts before their prisoners could break free. The Tailed Beasts he killed were seen wandering the planet, free from ninja and very much alive.

And then the ninja villages were formed. And Kurama shamefully found himself subjected by several ninja, all using techniques bastardized off of the Sage of Six Paths. None of them were kind, or pure like he was. Their chakra was evil, techniques half completed but still effective enough to capture and control him.

They were all pathetic humans. Humans that possessed the potential for hatred far surpassing that of all the Tailed Beasts combined. Humans that he vowed he would slaughter and hate until his last breath.

And then there was him. A boy who was different. A boy who was a Jinchuuriki his entire life, and so Kurama expected him to be his vehicle of hatred. A boy who defied all of those expectations, and never gave up on following his own path. A boy who redefined what it is to be a host.

Kurama liked this boy. And he grew to love him. Together they had been completely invincible.

And so Kurama found himself shocked and utterly unprepared as Uzumaki Naruto started fading from life, dragging him along. The death that the notorious Nine-Tails had once wished for was finally here. But now, he found himself thinking only one thing.

"I don't want to go...!"

He hated hearing the panic in his voice.

"I want to stay here, please, Father! Naruto and I...we still have so much to do!" Kurama pleaded to the nothingness that wasn't there. For Naruto could not hear him anymore.

How long would it take to resurrect? Was it worth it if Naruto wasn't there with him?

"Naruto, I-" He never finished.

He died.

But he didn't go. He felt the world around him vanish in an instant, and he could feel himself being pulled from the fabric of time and space but he was very aware of it all.

He was in the woods. Kurama felt a moment of discomfort seeing the treetops above him. He was in a smaller form. He hadn't been this small since...

Kurama whirled around and looked at the spot he knew would be there, the seal the Sage of Six Paths had made after splitting up the Ten-Tails and speaking to his children one last time. A man was standing in the center of the seal, just as the Sage had, his back to Kurama.

"Old Man...?"

The man turned around. No, it was not him. The Sage was a far more impressive sight than this sickly man. His eyes, half-lidded with weariness, held no sparkle. Nor did his voice, when he spoke.

"The Nine-Tails...that's weird."

"Have I...returned?" Kurama did not expect to revert to an older form, none of the other Tailed Beasts had when they revived.

"No, you haven't. I'm not sure what you're seeing but it only looks like the real world."

Kurama growled. After the Sage had perished, Kurama himself had desecrated these grounds beyond repair. It could not exist. "Am I in the past or something?"

"More like a waiting room." The man talked. "Configured to your subconsciousness. What are you seeing?"

"I have no time to wait. I want out, NOW!"

"Unfortunately for you, looks like it's my turn today." The man turned and started walking into the thick of the forest. The man, (if he could be called that), dropped fear from his shoulders with every step.

"Who are you, human?"

The man paused at a certain point in the brush and felt the air in front of him with his hands. As if he expected to be stopped by something that wasn't there. After a while, he spoke.

"My name is Shigarami. I'm not just a human, and I've been here a very very long time."


	2. One Must Have a Mind of Winter

-25 years after the death of Uzumaki Naruto and the disappearance of the Nine-Tails-

He hated this room. Good news hardly ever followed, otherwise the Hokage would leave the office himself to deliver it. The idea of a waiting room seems rather pointless to Shigarami, especially in this moment. Waiting can be done anywhere, why bother making a room for it?

Besides, he was being watched, which was uncomfortable to say the least. The Hokage Anbu unit was as good as they said, but they still had a long way to go before effectively masking their chakra from Shigarami.

Shigarami couldn't blame them. He was far from unsuspicious. When Udon, the beloved jounin teacher of 3 separate cells, dropped dead in front of a ramen stand, Shigarami himself had been brought in for questioning. It makes sense.

But he hadn't done it, obviously. And once that became clear, the Hokage put him on the case.

Shigarami tapped his foot on the ground. He hated that tick of his. But his frustration had to physicalize itself somehow. The case wasn't going well. The ramen stand owner, nor the students with Udon, nor the citizens in the vicinity had any explanation for why the jounin dropped dead with a 5-inch hole in his chest. They couldn't remember anything suspicious.

It had been 3 weeks since the murder. He was no closer to catching the killer than he was at the beginning.

He felt the Anbu eyes disappear from him for a moment. The Hokage was ready to see him. Shigarami silently counted to 5 before the Hokage's booming voice invited him into the room.

Shigarami opened the door. He bowed to the Hokage, as the custom went. The Hokage only responded with his trademark smile.

"Shigarami. How are you? Close the door, if you -"

The Hokage's face froze. Shigarami felt a chill crawl up his spine.

_There is somebody behind me_

And then a broadsword was thrust directly through his heart.


	3. Just Then, Just There

Shigarami was stabbed. Right through the heart; soundlessly and smoothly. Like cutting butter. It meant that a master was at the other end of the blade. He remembers his first thought was surprise at being impaled by a broadsword. Not exactly a popular ninja weapon. His second thought was trying to figure out how the hell he was assassinated -attempted assassination of course- in the middle of the most peaceful village in the world, Konoha. The expression on the Hokage's face seemed to change in slow motion from a gentle smile to utter disbelief when the broadsword impaled Shigarami. As Shigarami crumpled to the floor, he wondered what sort of torture the Hokage would put the assassin through.

A foolish foolish assassin. Skilled but stupendously stupid. Killing one of the Hokage's men in plain sight in the room that practically ran the shinobi world had been a bold choice, Shigarami decided, but utterly gutted any chances of living longer than 5 seconds.

The execution had been flawless. No preamble, no clunky genjutsu that novices depended on. A figure seemingly manifested itself behind Shigarami and without hesitation dispatched the jounin. Shigarami had only seen that sort of skill from Mist ninja trained in silent killing. Clearly he was the one and only target, or else the assassin would have gone for the more obvious choice of the Hokage.

Not that it mattered, getting stabbed. If that's all it took to kill him then Shigarami would have been dead ages ago. The assassin clearly didn't know what they were dealing with, but Shigarami gave him points for effort.

The last thought before his head hit the ground was dread at picking up all the papers that the Hokage would inevitably scatter after flipping over the table to get his hands on the enemy ninja. He would get to see his assailants cold unmoving face in two minutes when he would undoubtedly wake up...

And then Shigarami once again found himself standing in front of the Hokage, who was sitting behind his desk as if nothing had happened.

"Shigarami?"

No. No, this made no sense. Shigarami had woken up just like he had expected, but he was preparing himself for a scene of chaos and death that always followed a ninja battle.

"Shigarami, are you listening to me?"

Shigarami smirked. Clever. Extremely clever. But it still wouldn't work. He raised his hands to form the appropriate sign

"Release."

Absolutely nothing happened. The Hokage leaned forward, smirking.

"You been sleeping enough? You're the last person I imagined would go senile." The Hokage said, amusement apparent in his voice.

Shigarami's mind was racing. This made no sense at all. One minute there was a broadsword in his chest and a killer was standing in front of the strongest man in the village, who was ready to strike him down. The next, it's as if nothing happened. If what happened, either the sword or what was happening now was a genjutsu, it was an incredibly complex and incredibly impressive one.

"Release!" The Hokage now had a shit-eating grin on his face, clearly enjoying mocking the normally emotionally guarded jounin. "If this is a joke, then it's terrible. Leave the comedy to me, Shigarami," he said in a mischievous yet arrogant way that was so like him. Shigarami knew that the man in front of him was who he appeared to be.

"Lord Hokage, did you experience anything just now? A hallucination?"

"Nope. No idea what you're talking about."

"You serious?"

He snorted, "I assume that since you apparently believe we just shared something now you think we were caught in a genjutsu?"

"That's right."

"Ludicrous. This room has seals designed exactly for that purpose. They're checked every day by Anbu. Put your mind at ease."

Shigarami almost did. If he believed everything his eyes and ears told him he would have. But Shigarami had been a ninja long enough to know when to trust his gut. That broadsword, slipping right through him. That felt too real to ignore.

"I wish I could, Lord Hokage. I am not reaffirmed by your words, quite the opposite. I am more concerned that somebody managed to breach these seals you have such faith in."

The Hokage frowned. "This joke is getting really bad now."

The Hokage was a stubborn one. He had to be, it took a lot to lead this village. He was almost a larger than life character. It only becomes a problem when trying to convince him he's wrong.

"Lord Hokage, please-

"Maybe those magic tricks you always pull have finally taken a toll on your mind, eh? I can always have Ino look and see."

"Lord Hokage, listen to me for a minute!" Shigarami rushed forward and slammed his hands on the desk. He locked eyes with the Hokage, who was staring back at him equally as seriously. Shigarami briefly wondered if he had gone too far.

"What did you see?" The Hokage spoke in a low voice.

"I was stabbed from behind. In the heart."

The Hokage didn't change his expression. "In this room? Just now?"

"Yes."

"...Stabbing you in the heart doesn't kill you, does it?"

Shigarami sighed. "No, but it's not exactly enjoyable. One more thing."

"What?"

"It was a broadsword."

"You're joking."

"Never."

"So you're telling me that some assassin managed to sneak into my office, which is not being watched by amateurs I assure you, bypassed all the seals the Anbu set up, somehow got into the room without either of us noticing, delivered a mortal wound, or it would be on anybody else, but anyways. Stabbed you with a broadsword which is the worst possible assassination weapon I can imagine, all without me noticing, and vanished like the wind."

"You did notice. I saw your face as I was going down. You were ready to kill him."

"...which didn't happen, so that means there's some high class genjutsu going on. I mean on a Mangekyou Sharingan level. Or there's the simpler explanation that you are tired after a long mission and experiencing delusions."

There was no winning with him. "Yes, that is a simpler answer. But I've never known you to be a Hokage who ignores his subordinate's instincts."

The Hokage glared at him. Shigarami could almost see him thinking behind his eyes. After a moment, the Hokage started to speak.

"Shigarami, I respect you as a shinobi. I may not understand you or your techniques but God knows you've helped us out when we needed it." He paused, thinking of his next words. "Like I said, I tend to trust my own eyes and ears, but my eyes and ears have told me over the years that I can trust you almost equally. In three days when Minato has returned I'll have him check my seals again."

Shigarami breathed a sigh of relief. Minato would undoubtedly find something wrong with the seals, hopefully evidence of an intrusion. However...

"I thought Minato was sent after that missing-nin a few days ago?" One of Konoha's Chuunin decided to cut off his ties from the village after he was sent on an infiltration mission at a Land of Fire factory. He was supposed to disguise himself as a worker for a few months and then return with a detailed report of the factory standards. The client in this case was a rival business, hoping to find evidence of illegal working conditions that they could take to court and ruin the competition. What they had not bargained for was the Chuunin assigned to develop a sense of empathy for his fellow workers and lead a worker's revolt. They had tried to organize a strike, but the factory owner went to Konoha and paid for a couple of jonins to force his workers to get back to work through violent means. It had been embarrassing, to say the least, to find out that a workers rebellion had been started by an active undercover Konoha ninja. Konoha denied the request for aid subduing the workers, instead they tried to take the chuunin off the mission and back home. He didn't though, and that's when it all became violent. The factory owner had been killed by the rebelling workers, but not before he went to other ninja villages for help. The whole situation was a disaster and made Konoha look extremely bad. Minato was sent to find and eliminate the former Konoha ninja and his faction. It was supposed to be a long mission.

The Hokage smiled proudly, and spoke with a hint of humor, "I told him to take a month or so to get the job done. He says he'll be back in a week."

Shigarami scoffed. "Surely he was kidding."

"I would think so, if he wasn't who he was I wouldn't believe it. But I know that he never goes back on his word." He smiled, the kind of smile one wore when recalling fond memories. He leaned back and gazed up at the ceiling as if he could see right through the roof and was looking at the starry sky. "He sure is Naruto's son."

He then averted his gaze to Shigarami, as if he was expecting him to concur or add to the topic. Shigarami stared back with a blank expression. After all, he never got to meet the famous Jinchuuriki. He had nothing to add to all the discussion about how great Naruto is. The Hokage waved his hand, dismissing the topic.

"Anyways, Minato knows seals better than anybody. He'll put our minds to rest, I'm sure." he said with air of finality.

"Thank you, Lord Hokage."

"Now for the reason you're actually here. I'm sending you to the academy tomorrow on an unofficial mission. You're on the lookout for any standouts among the highest grade level in chakra control or related fields. You'll be replacing Iruka for the day..."

Shigarami groaned but mostly for show. He didn't mind babysitting.


	4. Hanging Fire

Hundreds of miles away, two ninja stand over the deepest water of the ocean. A man and a girl. Neither gave a thought to the brewing storm approaching them.

The man was tall and gruff. He was bald, and riddled with scars. Most prominent was a scar running from the left side of his mouth leading all the way to his left ear. Or at least, where his left ear would be if it was still there. He had patchy, inconsistent stubble. He hadn't shaved in many days. His body was almost entirely wrapped up to the neck in bandages, and he wore a loose grey robe that went down to his ankles, tied in the middle by a ninja belt. He stood on the sea, legs shoulder width apart with his arms folded across him, the picture of strength and solidity. He ignored the waves that hit his feet and splashed against his ankles. He didn't budge an inch.

"Pick yourself up." Even his voice seemed to carry all of the scars his body had.

The girl with her hands on her knees in front of him was clearly a bit more green. Her brown hair was tied back in a ponytail. She wore netting underneath a dark green shirt that opened up a bit, tied by a large blue cloth at her waist that also functioned as a sort of skirt. She was biting her lip, stopping herself from panting or groaning in pain. Her whole body was trembling. Her eyebrows furrowed in frustration to his comment.

"I'm still standing, aren't I?" She retorted. To her credit, she managed to keep the fatigue out of her words. Instead they had a bite to them.

"Don't be flippant, Minori. If you can't do this correctly I won't let you pass."

The words cause ripples of pain in her ankles that so desperately wanted to collapse.

Minori exhaled but it came out as a whimper. She lifted her hands from her knees and slowly straightened her back. Her eyes were clenched shut as a reflex to the pain she was feeling.

"Why are you closing your eyes!?"

Minori mentally berated herself. She was supposed to be battle ready at all times.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just...I'm so tired, and the week is almost over, and I'm really tired. I just need a small break, please."

She hoped that the pleading in her voice would win the man over and cut her some slack. It wasn't often that Susume Minori actually begged, she hoped that would reach her master.

His expression told her everything she needed to know. It was remarkable how much meaning he could put into his face, especially with all of his scars. She could see disappointment in his eyes, fury in his eyebrows, and disgust in his half-open frowning mouth.

Even with all of the analyzation, she was completely unable to do anything about the swift kick to the chest he delivered her. She flew back and started sinking into the water.

"Your enemies will not be as kind as I am. Ninja who are able to stand upon the ocean for a full week and are still ready to fight possess a stamina and chakra control far beyond average. If you can't beat 'em, outlast 'em. I need to be able to count upon you at all times, because our mission will be far more excruciating than this training exercise. You have failed, Minori."

As Minori sank into the water, the shame she felt from his words was far overshadowed by the relief she felt.

"At least I can finally go to sleep..." was her final thought before drifting into slumber.

"Professor!"

Shigarami sighed and slowed his walk down. He hardly had a moment of free time that his student wasn't aware of.

"Yes, Guy?" He said as the young man matched his pace beside him.

"I have a question about chakra frequencies from the reading you gave me last time, sir." Studious as always. When Guy had been sent to Shigarami, he was already a master in all popular forms of hand to hand combat. He practiced his forms and worked out everyday. He wore his father's trademark green tights not so much to honor his namesake but more to show off his impressive physique. Only the Hokage and his own parents could defeat him in a pure close combat fight. Unfortunately he had super focused so badly that he was severely lacking in chakra theory, even the most basic kind. He was sent to Shigarami after an embarrassing mission. He was supposed to read the contents of a scroll in the dead of night and leave it without letting the owners aware of the fact. He ran all the way back to the village, scroll in hand, waking up the Hokage in the dead of night to simply unseal the scroll with chakra so he could run back before anybody realized what happened. The next day he was off missions and assigned private lessons.

"Is it actually a question this day? Or is it just excitement as usual?" Shigarami jokingly replied. Guy had long since learned how to unseal simple scrolls with chakra under his tutelage. That was all that was required to get back to mission duty. Guy had never done anything half-heartedly though, and was intent on getting through all the advanced work before returning to duty. He was making the Hokage crazy and driving Shigarami up a wall.

"Well, I guess it's not really a question. I can make it a question if you like, sir?" Guy shrugged and scratched the back of his head. Even with all of his annoying habits and intense personality, Shigarami couldn't help but like him. "I just didn't realize all this stuff about chakra frequencies and nature affinity and stuff. It's cool, sir."

"Yes, it is cool."

"Does this mean that if a ninja has two affinities but the ability to use more than two elements he can change his chakra frequency, sir?"

"Exactly, a ninja may have one or two affinities to an element, or a frequency. Just like your voice is predisposed to be at a certain pitch. But singers can change their pitch when singing just as ninja can change their chakra frequency."

"That's amazing!" Guy was genuinely passionate about the subject. Almost every day since Shigarami had assigned him the next level work in chakra theory he had seeked out his tutor and proceeded to gush about his discoveries. None of which were particularly noteworthy or hard to figure out. Shigarami is more annoyed in Guys uncanny ability to find him around the village than he is with Guy's love of reciting the obvious. He didn't like being a man who could be found so easily.

Shigarami dragged his feet up the steps to his apartment. The sun had long gone down. Guy had pestered him the whole afternoon. He tried to brush him off, but the boy had superhuman determination like his father. Shigarami brought Guy to the library in an attempt to bore the Chuunin, but Guy had only pulled out half of the books in the chakra theory section and demanded lectures from Shigarami. He was too sincere of a boy to resist. Shigarami silently damned the boy for inheriting his mother's studiousness.

Shigarami opened his front door. He didn't ever bother locking it. The apartment was bare, and missing even the most basic of furniture. Besides a toaster, a mattress, and a bookshelf, there was hardly anything of value. The bulb in the one lamp in the corner had long burnt out. Shigarami hardly cared about darkness. He was a ninja.

Shigarami stepped into the musty room. Dark and lonely as ever.

"Interesting. I've never met a man to survive a sword through the heart"

All of Shigarami's training screamed at him to pull out his kunai and take off the head carrying the voice. The man standing behind him seemed to be mere centimeters from his head. His common sense triumphed. The voice, deep and smooth, was soaked in killing intent, and it told him that he'd feel a lot of pain if he attempted to defend himself. Shigarami knew that if the man wanted to kill him he could have done it already. So he decided to play along.

"I'm not just a man, you know. And I've never meet somebody who could kill me twice in one day"

The voice chuckled. Shigarami recognized the voice disguising technique that all ninja above chuunin knew how to use. The voice continued.

"Well I'm something special too. But nothing like you. I'm still human. Tell me are you immortal?"

"No. Let me see your face and I'll show exactly what I am."

"I think I prefer it this way...I'll enjoy the challenge you present me."

"You mean you plan on killing me again? Why?"

"Prey shouldn't care about their predator's intentions. All they can do is run."

Shigarami frowned. The voice sounded ancient, like it was merely reciting a long known truth of the world. The voice continued talking.

"So, please, Shigarami, do your best to figure me out if it makes you feel better. Nobody covers tracks better than me. I've killed a lot of people to accomplish my goal and I won't let an unkillable man get in my way. And it doesn't matter that the Hokage is in the know now. Such meager powers are below me. This village, the Hokage, you, everything will burn. Until then, I will merely be a bad nightmare to you"

Shigarami grinned. He almost let out a snort. "You're wrong."

"I assure you, I will find a way to deal with your-"

"No, you're wrong. You already left tracks."

The silence chilled Shigarami enough to make him keep on speaking.

"I'm still alive, that's bad enough. Even worse though..." Shigarami smirked. He turned his head to the side so the mysterious man could see it. "Your technique, your genjutsu or whatever you do isn't perfect."

"What?"

Shigarami thought back to the incident in the morning. Once he had approached the desk of the Hokage and slammed his palms down, he got a good look at the Hokage. Shigarami wasn't an emotional man, he wouldn't be weak enough to lose his cool in front of the Hokage without a purpose. He saw the pupils readying themselves to fight, the veins that were just a bit too prominent on his skin, and the drop of sweat tumbling down the Hokage's forehead that he didn't seem to notice.

"You didn't stop the Hokage's fight or flight instinct. Once I got close, I could see his blood pumping, preparing his body for a battle his mind didn't know existed."

A long silence. The voice spoke.

"You're smart. That's not enough to figure out my technique however. Certainly not enough to figure out my identity either."

"I am on the right track though, aren't I?" Shigarami stood still, awaiting the assassin's response. The air was silent for a long moment, it seemed like minutes. Shigarami got fed up, he spun around, kunai in hand.

The night greeted him. Not a soul in sight and nothing showing evidence of his dark visitor.

Nothing other than the massive broadsword, threateningly impaled into the ground at Shigarami's feet.


End file.
